AutismFeaturedGeneticsNeuroscience·February 28, 2022·6 min readFamiliar Objects Can Prevent Autism-Like Behaviors in Mouse ModelExposing mice with the autism-associated SHANK3 genetic mutation to new environments can trigger autism-like behaviors, including repetitive movements and problems with social engagement. However, adding familiar objects to the novel environment during the first exposure can reduce the behavioral and brain signaling deficits.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscienceVisual Neuroscience·May 18, 2021·6 min readA New Theory for What’s Happening in the Brain When Something Looks FamiliarA new theory suggests the brain understands the level of activation required from a sensory input and corrects for it, leaving behind a signal for familiarity.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscienceVisual Neuroscience·April 28, 2021·6 min readA New Theory for What’s Happening In the Brain When Something Looks FamiliarResearchers propose a new theory of what happens in the brain when we experience familiar seeming visual stimuli. The theory, dubbed sensory referenced suppression, suggests the brain understands different levels of activation expected for sensory input and corrects for it, leaving behind the signal for familiarity.Read More
FeaturedNeurosciencePsychology·November 6, 2019·5 min read‘I knew that was going to happen:’ Déjà vu and the ‘postdictive’ biasWhen intense feelings of prediction accompanied deja vu, they were strongly correlated with feelings of postdiction. High degrees of familiarity that accompany deja vu also carry through to postdictive bias.Read More
FeaturedPsychology·June 20, 2017·5 min readFamiliar Faces Look Happier Than Unfamiliar OnesA new study reveals that people tend to perceive familiar faces as looking happier than those they are not familiar with.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscience·September 30, 2015·6 min readTaking Control of a Rat’s Sense of Familiarity and NoveltyResearchers take control of rats' brains to induce the animals to behave as those new images were familiar and old images were novel, a new study reports.Read More
FeaturedNeurosciencePsychology·August 13, 2015·4 min readLearning New Information is Easier When it is Composed of Familiar ElementsAccording to a new study, familiarity plays a crucial role in memory and learning.Read More